Diagnosis Enhances, Not Impedes, Boundaries of Physical Therapy Practice

When practice transformation impedes practice improvement.

I lead a small practice in rural western North Carolina. We have embraced the patient-centered medical home model and other practice-improvement initiatives, and I have seen our practice transformed in many positive ways. But in the past year alone, my staff and I have spent hundreds of hours studying for and taking exams, certifying for numerous programs, and updating our electronic health rec...

Martini's Principles and Practice of Physical Diagnosis

Moral distress in physical therapy practice.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the theoretical concept of moral distress in the context of current physical therapy practice and ethics knowledge and differentiate it from emotional distress and burnout. Moral distress, largely discussed in nursing, is a theoretical concept that has the potential to elucidate the experiences of physical therapists delivering direct care to patients i...

Advancing physical therapy practice: the accountable practitioner.

We are excited to introduce 2 special issues in the Journal that feature articles relevant to direct access physical therapist practice. The rationale for covering these topics in the physical therapy literature is clear: the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA’s) Vision 2020 states that, ‘‘By 2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical t...

Dry Needling in Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice

INTRODUCTION Orthopedic physical therapists employ a wide range of intervention strategies to reduce patients’ pain and improve function. From time to time, new treatment approaches are being introduced to the field of physical therapy. The arrival of manual therapy in the United States is a good example. Although for several decades, manual physical therapy was already an essential part of the...